Inground pools come in many shapes and sizes. Each one is tailored to fit its owner’s needs. You just can’t beat the convenience of having the best part of summer in your backyard. If you want to enjoy your inground pool for years to come, you’re going to need to keep your pool in peak condition. Here’s what you need to know in order to maintain an inground pool.

What Makes Up an Inground Pool?

While there’s no need to take a Master’s class on the makeup of your pool, knowing the basic parts will help you maintain your pool better. Every pool has four components that need regular care and upkeep to keep your swim time a good time. These are:

• Pool Water
• Pool interior wall or liner
• Pool filter system
• Pool skimmers and returns

The pool water may seem obvious, but without proper care, you’ll end up with costly repairs due to corrosion or mineral build-up.

The pool liner is always touching the pool water and everyone or thing that takes a dip. Keeping your pool interior clean of mold, algae, and debris will ensure your pool is clean and safe.

The pool filter system cleans dirt and other contaminants from your pool water. Without a properly working filter, your pool will end up cloudy, polluted, and unusable. 

The pool skimmers are different from net skimmers, which is a cleaning tool attached to a telescoping pole. The skimmers pull water into the pool filter for cleaning. The pool returns push clean water back into the pool. 

Now that you know the basic parts you’ll be looking after, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of it all. There are a lot of different things you’ll need to keep track of in order to keep your pool fun for all. 

Circulation is Key!

Good water circulation is very important for healthy and safe swimming. Moving water is cleaner, clearer, and safer to be in. Proper circulation is a great preventative for cloudy water or pool algae infestations. Ideally, you should run your pool constantly. If that’s not a good option for you, try running the pool filter at least 10 to 12 hours a day. This will allow enough time for the pool water to circulate a few times. You’ll also need to clean out and backwash your filter weekly. 

Pool Cleaning Schedule

Having a schedule will make cleaning your pool much easier. You’ll be able to keep track of what needs to happen when. You’ll need a net skimmer, pool brush, and pool vacuum to get the job done. 

Skimming off leaves and debris should be done daily. This allows you to gather up leaves, insects, and other debris floating on the surface of the water. Using the net skimmer daily helps make sure you catch the debris before it sinks to the bottom. Once there, it will become very difficult to remove and may even cause stains. If you have trees around the pool, consider trimming them back to reduce the number of leaves and sticks in the pool water. Daily cleaning will keep your water clear and prevent clogs in your pool filtration system. 

At the very minimum, you should brush and vacuum your pool weekly. Using a pool brush for cleaning an inground pool will help remove dirt and prevent the spread of algae. Don’t forget to brush the walls and pool fixtures like ladders or slides. Make sure to brush the sediment towards the main drain so it can be vacuumed more easily.

After brushing your pool, it’s time to use your pool vacuum. You have the choice between automatic or manual. While automatic makes this task easier, remember that it doesn’t prevent the need to brush and skim your inground pool. If you’re using a manual vacuum, submerge the head and hose before hooking it up to the filter. Once the pool vacuum is attached to the filter, check that the hose does not float. Vacuum the bottom of the pool moving slowly and overlapping lines like you’re mowing the lawn. 

If this sounds like a lot and you’re not quite ready to do it yourself, skilled pool technicians are happy to help. You can schedule weekly visits and they’ll take care of everything.

Pool Water Chemistry: pH, Alkalinity, Sanitizer Levels

Despite the stress and flashbacks, the word Chemistry causes most people, pool chemistry is much more straightforward. Make sure you have a water testing kit on hand to keep your inground pool balanced and safe.

pH levels: This is the measure of how acidic or basic your pool water is. High pH levels are as basic as leggings and pumpkin spice lattes. Low pH levels are acidic like vinegar and ammonia. The ideal inground pool’s pH level is between 7.4 and 7.6.

Alkalinity: This is going to be your pH buffer. It helps avoid large spikes in basicity or acidity. You want your pool alkalinity levels to be between 100 to 150 parts per million. Baking soda can increase your pool’s alkalinity level. 

Sanitizer Levels: This is the amount of chlorine, bromine, and other chemicals in your pool water. These levels depend on which sanitizer you use.

You should test your pool water frequently, at least once a week. Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions while testing and adding chemicals to your pool water.

Pool Cleaning Bonita Springs

Now you know the basics for maintaining and cleaning your inground pool. It may seem like a lot, but these steps are critical to keeping your pool clean and safe to enjoy. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of pool cleaning every week, contact Pool Cleaning Bonita Springs for a quote today. We’ll make sure pristine waters are ready for you. No one knows your swimming pool better than our team of dedicated pool technicians.